Collin MacDonald

Graduate Student at @WilliamAndMary | Views are my own.

[Disney Animation @DisneyAnimation]

The concept of this being the only year you can celebrate 6/26/26...

[Collin MacDonald @CollinTheCoder]

Amazing rankings this year!

[W&M Computer Science @WMCompSci]

CSCI Undergraduate Program Rises to #54 in National Rankings

Good work gets noticed! In the 2026 USNews and World Report rankings of undergraduate Computer Science Program, CS@W&M soared 10 spots from 2025 and 28 spots in just two years! Our current ranking is #54 out of 601.

[Paul Hudson @twostraws]

Today I'm launching my new app, Hacktivate. It teaches real-world computer science skills through 240 "capture the flag" challenges, and works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac with one purchase. I've poured a ton of love into it, and I'd love to hear what you think 🙌 (Link in reply)

[Google Students @googlestudents]

Last week, Google hosted our PhD Intern Summit at our Mountain View HQ. PhD interns from around the world were invited to join virtually or in-person, and the day consisted of countless learning and networking opportunities. “Research at Google is actively shaping the future across a variety of fields, and we wanted to give our PhD interns a chance to witness this firsthand,” explained Ryan, one of the event’s organizers. “This was a unique chance for PhD interns to connect and network with their fellow PhD interns, alongside key recruiters and industry leaders, fostering collaborations that could last a lifetime.”

In addition to talks and chats with various Google executives, the event also included an intern poster session for interns to showcase their project work. For many attendees, seeing the impact of their work reaffirmed their decision to come to Google. “I chose Google because I wanted to work on something more impactful with more reach,” shared Harsh, a research intern on Google Search. “So far, it's exactly what I thought it would be. I’m working on tough problems in a very collaborative environment, and I can talk to anyone to get their perspective”

Thank you to all of our research interns for your contributions to #LifeatGoogle! Explore our open AI/ML roles and opportunities ➡️ https://t.co/4L23oW0Dg3

[Paul Hudson @twostraws]

A news outlet asked me for a quote about the App Store ruling. TL;DR: I don’t have a snappy soundbite – I’m here to build things and help you build things too, not argue about payments. Build something great and the money will come, no matter what percentage Apple takes.

[Deep Dish Swift 🍕 2027 @DeepDishSwift]

Deep Dish Swift 2025 is over but… we aren’t done yet 👀

(🔊 Sound on)

[Collin MacDonald @CollinTheCoder]

I had an absolutely great time at @DeepDishSwift this year! So many great talks, people, and projects!

[Collin MacDonald @CollinTheCoder]

@joshdholtz @DeepDishSwift Thank you for another great Deep Dish Swift! See you next year! 🍕

[Collin MacDonald @CollinTheCoder]

Excited to share that Ambulo: Step Tracker is now available on the App Store.

Built as a family at @SnowDayDigital, Ambulo is a minimalist, ad-free step tracking app focused on progress, not perfection.

Would love to hear what you think!

[Snow Day Digital @SnowDayDigital]

From the team at Snow Day Digital… introducing Ambulo: Step Tracker for iOS!

Track your steps over time with a clean, ad-free app focused on progress — not pressure.

Your Steps, Your Progress. Download today: https://t.co/cOqhLI08qD

[Collin MacDonald @CollinTheCoder]

@twostraws Wow. That’s unfortunate they couldn’t do anything. I for some reason don’t even have an account recovery option, it just asks for a phone number if I try to reset my password and then says it’s under review and to wait for an email. Very weird.

[Josh “Pizza Conf” Holtz 💪🚀🍕 @joshdholtz]

🍕 Happy @DeepDishSwift month to all of those who celebrate!

Still can't believe this is happening for a third time AND that this year's pizza party will be the biggest one yet 🥰

[Collin MacDonald @CollinTheCoder]

@seanallen_dev @Ben_Van_Aken @CreatorViewApp What would you recommend these days instead of MVVM?

[Collin MacDonald @CollinTheCoder]

@DannyBehar @matthewskiles Looks great!

[OpenAI @OpenAI]

Announcing The Stargate Project

The Stargate Project is a new company which intends to invest $500 billion over the next four years building new AI infrastructure for OpenAI in the United States. We will begin deploying $100 billion immediately. This infrastructure will secure American leadership in AI, create hundreds of thousands of American jobs, and generate massive economic benefit for the entire world. This project will not only support the re-industrialization of the United States but also provide a strategic capability to protect the national security of America and its allies.

The initial equity funders in Stargate are SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX. SoftBank and OpenAI are the lead partners for Stargate, with SoftBank having financial responsibility and OpenAI having operational responsibility. Masayoshi Son will be the chairman.

Arm, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle, and OpenAI are the key initial technology partners. The buildout is currently underway, starting in Texas, and we are evaluating potential sites across the country for more campuses as we finalize definitive agreements.

As part of Stargate, Oracle, NVIDIA, and OpenAI will closely collaborate to build and operate this computing system. This builds on a deep collaboration between OpenAI and NVIDIA going back to 2016 and a newer partnership between OpenAI and Oracle.

This also builds on the existing OpenAI partnership with Microsoft. OpenAI will continue to increase its consumption of Azure as OpenAI continues its work with Microsoft with this additional compute to train leading models and deliver great products and services.

All of us look forward to continuing to build and develop AI—and in particular AGI—for the benefit of all of humanity. We believe that this new step is critical on the path, and will enable creative people to figure out how to use AI to elevate humanity.

[Collin MacDonald @CollinTheCoder]

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone!

[Collin MacDonald @CollinTheCoder]

Hi everyone! My name is Collin and I’m a CS graduate student and iOS developer. I’m looking to end the year connecting with more students and developers. If I’m not already following you, let me know!

[Collin MacDonald @CollinTheCoder]

@ImanMorshed Nice to meet you as well!

[Collin MacDonald @CollinTheCoder]

Hi everyone! My name is Collin and I’m a CS graduate student and iOS developer. I’m looking to end the year connecting with more students and developers. If I’m not already following you, let me know!

[Collin MacDonald @CollinTheCoder]

@RahimAbdullaev Hello!

[Collin MacDonald @CollinTheCoder]

@raodeveloper Hi, nice to meet you!